Biography: Charles Edward Durning was born on February 28, 1923 in Highland Falls, New York to Louise and James E. Durning. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was awarded a Silver Star for valor and three Purple Hearts. Durning taught at Fred Astaire Dance Studio in New York City while pursuing his acting career. He married Carole Doughty in 1959 and separated from his second wife, Mary Ann Amelio Durning in 2010. He is survived by his three children.

Film/TV Credits: Film credits include: "The Sting," "North Dallas Forty," "True Confessions," "Tootsie," "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," "Dick Tracy," "Home for the Holidays," "Twilight"s Last Gleaming," and "To Be or Not to Be." Television credits include: "Evening Shade," "First Monday," "The Hudsucker Proxy," "O Brother, Where Art Thou"," "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Rescue Me," "Captains and the Kings," "Attica," "Death of a Salesman," and "Queen of the Stardust Ballroom."

Other Awards: Inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame on Broadway in 1999. Received the Life Achievement Award at the 14th Annual Screen Actors Guild Award Ceremony in 2008. He was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008.

Trivia:
He appeared in 35 New York Shakespeare Festival productions.
The Academy Film Archive is home to the Charles Durning Collection.
The marquees of Broadway theatres were dimmed in his honor on December 27, 2012.